Queer narratives are stories that explore non-binary gender identities and sexual orientations beyond traditional binary categories of masculine/feminine and heterosexual/homosexual. These narratives challenge the assumptions of linear temporality and fixed identity in storytelling by breaking down the rigid structures that dictate how we experience time and understand ourselves. In this article, I will discuss how queer narratives in interactive media, such as video games and digital art installations, offer an alternative to the conventional linear narrative structure and allow for more fluid and nuanced representations of identity.
Linear Temporality vs. Nonlinear Temporality
Traditional storytelling follows a linear progression from beginning to end, with characters and events unfolding according to a predetermined timeline. This creates a sense of progress and order, but it also limits the possibilities for exploration and discovery. Interactive media, however, offers a nonlinear approach to time where players can make choices and influence the course of the story. This allows for greater freedom and flexibility in terms of plot development and character arcs.
In "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," players control Link's journey through Hyrule as they choose which quests to complete and which enemies to fight. The game's open world design encourages players to experiment and discover new paths, leading to unexpected encounters and surprises.
Fixed Identity vs. Fluid Identity
Linear narratives often present characters as static entities with fixed identities and motivations. Queer narratives, on the other hand, subvert these expectations by allowing for multiple interpretations and variations in identity. In "Life is Strange," players take on the role of Max Caulfield, a high school student who discovers she has the power to rewind time. As she travels back in time and makes different decisions, her relationship with her classmate Chloe Price evolves in unexpected ways, revealing complex emotional dynamics that challenge traditional notions of gender roles and sexuality. The game's branching narrative structure invites players to consider the fluidity of identity and relationships, rather than imposing rigid categories.
Unconventional Narratives
Interactive media provides an opportunity to explore unconventional narratives that may be difficult or impossible in traditional forms such as novels or films.
In digital art installations like "Her Story" by Sam Barlow, players use a police database interface to search for clues related to a murder investigation. By piecing together fragments of text and video, they construct a narrative that challenges binary ideas of masculinity and femininity. The nonlinear format allows for multiple perspectives and interpretations, creating a rich tapestry of stories that defy easy categorization.
Queer narratives in interactive media offer a new way of experiencing storytelling that breaks down linear temporality and fixed identity. They invite us to explore alternative modes of self-expression and relationship building that are often suppressed in mainstream media. These narratives provide a space where we can imagine and experiment with our own identities, pushing against the constraints of conventional understandings of gender and sexuality.
How do queer narratives in interactive media challenge the assumptions of linear temporality and fixed identity in storytelling?
Queer narratives in interactive media offer a unique perspective on the traditional notion of time and identity by challenging the fixed and linear representations that are often associated with these concepts. In most traditional forms of storytelling, such as books and films, time is seen as a linear progression from beginning to end, with characters developing over time according to certain predetermined trajectories.